Retribution

by Charles Tillman

  “Yonai-san, you have a question for me?”

  “Hai. Akio-san. Where are the tigers?”

  “They are using an apartment in the Lotus Towers as a base. There is a body behind the Palace like the ones you are dealing with now. I got that information, along with what Yuko is relaying to the liaison, from him before he died.”

  “I can have a squad of my people there in twenty minutes to back you.”

  “They are on the fifth floor, and there is little room to maneuver in there. With so many people in the surrounding apartments, the risk of hitting one of them is too high. If you could keep the area around it clear, that would help and put eyes around in case any try to escape. I suggest you deploy your men in groups of four to increase their likelihood of success.”

  “Hai. My men have practiced that formation regularly since Yuko-san explained it. I will meet you a half-block west of the building. There is nothing more for me to do here anyway.”

  Lotus Towers Apartments, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

  Takumi, do you have anything? Akio asked as he climbed the stairs to the fifth floor. Four of Eve’s drones of the new design followed him.

  I can see two through a space in the blinds and make out more voices inside. Nothing more. Takumi was running drones around the building. After checking in with Abel and finding that Kenjii was still on a mission, he had directed Abel to support the younger vampire while Takumi assisted him.

  I will be at the door in a moment. If any come out, take them down before they can harm anyone.

  With these new drones, you need not engage. I can punch through the walls and kill them all before they know what hit them.

  Akio paused on the landing at the door to the desired floor. Something in Takumi’s tone when he coldly offered to kill the Clan members nudged the back of his mind. Takumi, is something wrong?

  No, everything is as it was when you asked a few seconds ago.

  I meant your offer to kill all of them with the drones.

  It seems like the best option. Besides, these people are responsible for Koda’s and Horst's injuries. The protection of Koda Rii was my responsibility, and I failed.

  Akio thought for a few beats, almost telling Takumi it wasn’t his fault, then deciding to mention it to Eve. He wasn’t up to playing grief counselor to an entity intelligence just now.

  Inspector Yonai and a group of ten officers were standing by one floor below. They were to get the residents in the nearby units to safety when Akio engaged the Weres.

  Akio quietly approached the door. He heard voices inside, but as he drew closer, they went silent.

  Takumi updated his report. They know you’re there. The two on the couch shifted, and two more in tiger form are inside the door.

  Akio smiled as he drew the Jean Dukes Special from his left holster. Takumi, make a hole and send the video signal of the ones by the door to my HUD on my mark.

  One drone sped past him, then stopped and hovered at head height in front of the door. Akio aimed in the direction he thought a tiger would be inside the door. Mark.

  The armored drone punched through the door with a loud crack. A second later, Akio’s HUD showed the inside of the apartment and a tiger crouched on either side of the door, ready to pounce on anyone who came through it.

  The weapon in his hand barked, sending hypervelocity rounds through the sheetrock and into the skulls of the waiting tigers. The vampire crashed through the door before the two dead tiger's death throes had ceased.

  One tiger in the center of the room recovered fast and leapt toward him. His Jean Dukes spat once, and the explosive dart blew the tiger's mangled corpse back to where it started.

  A loud snarl followed by footsteps that shook the floor came from his left, and he turned to see a Pricolici bearing down on him. Akio sprang forward to give himself room to maneuver while firing the Jean Dukes from his hip, striking the second tiger near the couch in the throat. The round decapitated it, leaving the bleeding, headless corpse on top of the first.

  Akio landed on his feet and turned to meet the Pricolici, which had moved faster than he expected. The monster slammed into him with the force of a truck. Akio relaxed his body and rolled with the blow, landing on his back and using his momentum to backflip and land on his feet.

  The Pricolici sprang to its feet when it didn’t encounter resistance from hitting Akio and glared at him with hate-filled yellow eyes. “Yoouuu wiilll diiieee noowww, leeeeech,” it roared.

  Akio smirked at the beast, his katana ready in one hand and a Jean Dukes in the other. A motion to his left caught his attention, and a quick glance revealed a second Pricolici coming through a side door.

  Dabie Mountains, Outside of Sanhe, China

  Kenjii jogged along the wet ledge next to the raging underground river. The spray of water-soaked his armor and limited the range of his night vision. He slowed to a walk after his foot slipped and he barely avoided falling into the churning flow.

  The path curved, and he came out into a cavern so large he couldn’t see the top. The source of the river was a waterfall that poured out of a hole in the granite fifteen meters from the lake that had formed under it.

  Kenjii stopped to admire the cavern, wishing he could use the lights built into his armor to study the colors that appeared as varying shades of gray through his visor. Stalactites of different heights hung down above him, showing that this cavern had been here for many years.

  I should bring Akio here when the Clan is finished. He enjoys nature's beauty as much as I do.

  Kenjii followed the trail through the cavern, and after it made a sharp turn, he found himself at the exit. Tree trunks blocked his sight two meters out, and a narrow path disappeared around the trunk of a tree over a meter thick.

  He started down the path, senses alert for danger. The path had been worn smooth by the tread of countless feet over the years. Kenjii was considering turning back when a soft noise from the thick canopy above him made him pause. He strained his ears and heard a noise he couldn’t identify nearby. He turned his head to one side and was stunned by a heavy blow that knocked him to the ground. He tried to focus on the cause when a heavy weight landed on top of him, followed by a sharp pain as something penetrated his armor and dug into the skin on his stomach.

  Kenjii lifted his hands to shove the weight off and was shocked when he felt the muscular body and warm fur of a huge cat through the sensors installed in the palms of his gauntlets. He drew his right hand back and slammed his armored fist into the beast, eliciting a pained grunt. He repeated this several times, shattering ribs with each strike until he felt the weight slip off to one side. That allowed him to roll away from the tiger, whose breathing was harsh and shallow as it healed from the broken ribs that had punctured one lung.

  Kenjii leapt to his feet, drawing his swords. A sharp pain radiated from his wound, and he could feel blood trickling inside his armor. The tiger struggled to its feet and let loose with a pained snarl. Kenjii took two running steps toward it, swinging a sword down as he did. When he planted his front foot, the sword continued down, cutting deep into the tiger’s skull.

  The cat dropped to the ground in a boneless pile. Kenjii twisted his sword free and turned toward the sound of many feet headed toward him. Another tiger burst through an opening in the trees, determined to take him down.

  Kenjii twisted, ignoring the pain from his wound, and slashed the cat as it overshot his position. Before he could finish the injured tiger, another came out of the trees. This one moved slower and stalked just out of range of Kenjii’s deadly steel.

  The vampire was moving to intercept the latest threat when two more came out of the gloom. He watched the three tigers warily as they spread out in a crescent shape in front of him. The original cat he had cut joined the other three while Kenjii was assessing which one to kill first. His open position between the cave mouth and the trees was not defensible, so he took a slow step back, his eyes darting from one tiger to another as he inched towa
rd the cave.

  He felt he was near the entrance, a place narrow enough to allow only one tiger to confront him at a time. Then a hard blow hit him from the side and lifted his feet off the ground. He crashed headfirst into the rough stone around the cave mouth, and although his helmet protected his head, the hard landing dazed him. His eyes widened as three more tigers sprang toward him.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan

  Eve moved around the Pod-doc, checking readings on different screens. Satisfied, she nodded to Yuko, Asai, and Horst, who stood impatiently at the door. “She’s about to come out.”

  Horst stepped into the room, his eyes locked on the sleek capsule that contained everything he held dear in the world. Eve stepped in front of him with her hand up.

  “Horst, give us a minute.” She raised her other hand, in which she clutched a neatly folded white cloth. “Let her get her bearings and get dressed first. Coming out for the first time is disorienting for some people.”

  Horst’s face clouded and he opened his mouth to argue, but Yuko placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into the hall.

  “Give her the time. She will appreciate it,” Yuko assured him.

  The door slid closed and Horst slumped against the wall, his hands clenching and unclenching while he waited.

  Asai caught his hands in hers and squeezed them gently. “She’s alive. We’ll deal with everything else as it comes.”

  Horst nodded but didn’t pull away from her. “Thank you, Asai. You have given me hope, even though I don’t feel I deserve it.”

  Asai shook her head and looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. “Stop beating yourself up over this. Koda will understand; you’ll see.”

  Koda slowly came awake. Her memory was fuzzy as she opened her eyes to a room she vaguely recognized. “What… where am I?” she whispered.

  “There was an attack on you and Horst, and you sustained injuries. You’re in the Pod-doc, you’ve healed, and it’s time to come out,” Eve’s voice announced from above.

  Koda’s memories rushed back. “Horst!” she exclaimed as she struggled to sit up.

  “Calm down, Koda. The unit needs to be unlocked. Do you remember how to do it?”

  Koda stopped fighting the surface that blocked her, took a calming breath, and reached down to the release. The top of the Pod-doc opened, revealing a smiling Eve holding a white robe in her hand.

  “Welcome back.”

  “Horst? Where is he? They hurt him!”

  “He’s waiting for you. You need to go slow until you get used to things,” Eve warned.

  Koda sat up and swung her legs over the side of the Pod-doc, then put her hands on the edge and pushed off. She let out a squawk when instead of sliding two centimeters and dropping her feet to the floor, she shot a meter across the room and slammed into a wall.

  “What’s going on? Is she okay?” Horst called worriedly through the closed door.

  “Everything's fine. She’s getting her legs under her now,” Eve answered.

  Koda looked at the wall and back at the Pod-doc. “Eve, what the hell just happened?”

  Eve handed her the robe and motioned for her to put it on. “The condensed version is you almost died. We had to take extreme measures to save you, and those measures come with changes. You're fine. If anything, you’re better than fine. Now get dressed before that man of yours breaks down the door.”

  Koda took the robe and put an arm through the opening. When she pulled it around her body to put her other arm through, a ripping noise came from the garment.

  “Careful,” Eve cautioned.

  Koda’s eyes widened in shock. “Eve, what’s happening?”

  “I told you, move carefully. You’re stronger than before. You need to get used to the changes is all.”

  Koda slowly pulled the robe closed and tied it in the front. Satisfied that it would remain closed, she slowly walked the short distance to the door. Horst was the first person she saw when it slid open. Koda forgot everything and lurched into him, wrapping her arms around him as their bodies crashed together.

  “Oof! Careful, my tiny beauty.” Horst grunted as her small body shoved him back three staggering steps.

  She released him enough to lean back and look him over from head to toe. Yuko had convinced him to swap the blood-covered blanket for a pair of too-tight sweats. His upper body was bare and still covered in dried blood.

  “Horst, you were on the ground, not moving. Where are you injured?” Koda wailed as she took in his bloodied form.

  “I healed, and I’m fine. How do you feel?” His eyes darted over her worriedly, looking for any sign of the damage he had done.

  “I feel…different,” Koda told him after a pause. “I’m uncertain what it is, but my body doesn’t move as it used to, and everything is so loud.”

  Horst’s face fell. He looked away and took a deep breath. Steeling himself for whatever followed, he told her. “I hurt you badly. You were dying when Akio and Yuko arrived. I-I had to do something to save your life. I’m so sorry, my love!” he wailed as he released her from his light embrace.

  Koda looked at him askance, not remembering anything after she had seen him unmoving on the ground after the fight. “Horst, what’s wrong? We survived.”

  Horst looked up from the floor, tears running down his face. “Koda, I-I had to make you like…” He paused and took a breath. “Like me.”

  Confusion showed in Koda’s eyes as she watched the strongest man she had ever known crumble. She opened her mouth and closed it several times, not knowing what to say.

  Asai stepped up to her. “Koda, what he is trying to tell you is, in order to save you, he had to give you his blood. The Pod-doc changed you to save your life. You are a Were now, and this big oaf is convinced you will hate him.”

  Koda’s eyes went from Asai to Horst and back again. Understanding replaced confusion when Asai’s words sank in.

  The new Were reached up and put her finger under Horst’s chin, pushing until he looked her in the eye. “Horst, I love you more than life. I could never be angry at you for doing what you had to so we could stay together.”

  “But it’s my fault.”

  Koda moved her finger to his lips and pressed, silencing him. “It’s the Sacred Clan’s fault. They hunted us and attacked you. Everything after that is on them.”

  “Horst,” Yuko interrupted, “Koda needs to eat to fuel her nanocytes, and you need to get into the Pod-doc.”

  “I’m fine,” Horst argued.

  Koda gave him side-eye and shook her head. “No, you’re not. Yuko says you need to go in the Pod-doc, and I’m starving. We will continue this when the Pod-doc has fixed whatever is wrong.”

  “But…”

  “No, inside. Now,” Koda ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

  Horst sighed, knowing he’d lost the argument, and trudged through the open door to where Eve waited.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Lotus Towers Apartments, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan

  Akio snap-fired a round from his Jean Dukes Special at the tiger that had knocked him down. The Pricolici jinked to the side, so the round dug a divot out of its bicep and went through the wall behind it.

  The second Pricolici snarled as it swiped an enormous claw-tipped paw at his back. The claws hit the hard armor across the vampire’s back, shoving him forward a stumbling step, then he planted his front foot and pivoted. His katana whistled through the air at shoulder height, catching the Were’s outstretched paw and slicing through two toes.

  The Pricolici jerked its injured paw back and snarled. Its yellow eyes narrowed, and it launched itself across the scant distance separating them. Akio tried to bring his Jean Dukes to bear, but the cat was on him too fast. It slammed the injured paw against Akio’s gun hand and sent the Jean Dukes Special spinning across the room.

  The tiger followed up with a lightning-fast swipe of its other paw, aimed for Akio’s head.
He dropped to his knees to avoid the full force of the blow, but a black claw grazed the top of his helmet with enough force to push his head to the side. Akio swung his sword in an arc, and the sharp blade sliced the muscles in the tiger’s thigh to the bone. Akio followed up with a backstroke that took the other leg in the same place. He jumped to his feet and sidestepped, turning his body to where he could see both monster tigers.

  The one he’d shot was on him as soon as he turned. The beast tackled him to the floor, and its heavy body pinned his sword between their bodies. The tiger's mouth gaped wide, and Akio winced when the teeth closed on his visor.

  The vampire wrenched one trapped hand from between their bodies and brought his gauntleted fist down repeatedly on the tiger's ribs. The beast grunted with each blow but did not release him, then the Were brought its hands down and compressed his armored sides. Akio tried to reach the tanto sheathed on his belt, but the angle was wrong. The pressure on his sides continued to increase, and the armor dug into him as the claws penetrated the outer layer. Akio twisted and turned, attempting to break free, to no avail. He pulled back his free hand, extended his fingers, and drove them rapid-fire into the Pricolici’s side.

  A loud snarl from behind alerted him that the other cat was still in the fight just as Akio’s fingers slid between the ribs of the Were that was savaging him. He shoved hard, his teeth clenched and his lips twisted in a silent snarl, and his hand went past the ribs and into the cat's chest cavity.

  The Were went wild, thrashing and clawing at Akio’s body as the vampire’s hand pushed deeper. Akio felt the rapidly beating heart through his gauntlet and wrapped his fingers around the organ.

  The tiger redoubled its efforts to pull away, bouncing on Akio and driving him into the floor. The vampire’s face was feral as he caressed the Pricolici’s beating heart once with his palm, then clenched his fist, splitting the heart into multiple pieces.