by Rick Royster
"Let's see what all the fuss is about. Let's see what is on this thing," Matrix said.
He placed the Trojan Cube on the table. It rose on its own and began to rotate in place. The pyramid was the size of a baseball split in four parts, a circular pattern of letters and numbers projecting from it. Tressa took a step back, and Matrix stared on in wonder.
"What is it? What is it doing?” Tressa asked.
Matrix looked down at the table. His computer’s AI was trying to keep up and read the information from the orb.
"These, I believe, are locations," Matrix said, his eyes never leaving the ever-streaming numbers on and around the table.
Goliath asked, "Well. To where?"
"Hell if I know?" Matrix quipped. "I'm guessing they're Coalition hotspots?"
Tressa looked stunned and simply stared.
"What is it? Goliath asked.
"Christ. It's the locations and coordinates of every Coalition secret base. There, Air Station Alpha, Land Base Delta, and Atlantis," Tressa said, pointing to different areas of the map.
All eyes at the table turned to her.
Goliath pointed at the maps and looked at Matrix.
"And this? Coalition technology our mysterious mercenaries so desperately want?” Goliath asked.
"Yes," Matrix responded.
Matrix typed in a few keys, and a stream of numbers came up. "The names of every agent and their locations. A lot of these men are undercover in Global Union strongholds. Most are so deep in, it'll be impossible for them to get out."
"My heart bleeds for them; it really does. But this just means our asking price went way up," Goliath chimed in.
Matrix stared at Goliath in appalling disgust.
Sam was still staring at the Cube. He hadn't taken his eyes off it the entire time. "I've seen those codes before, the ones on the bottom. They are generally used to copy something, something large."
"You mean like an entire network?" Tressa asked.
"Yeah, maybe." Sam responded.
"That sounds like the Coalition got really unlucky, but it also sounds like it's worth a lot of money," Goliath said.
"You've changed, old friend, and not for the better," Matrix said to Goliath.
Tressa felt the breath go out of her. She thought she was just pandering Coalition technology to the mercenaries, which in and of itself was bad but something her conscience could live with. The idea of the Global Union getting their hands on the device made her shiver.
"I just want to be rid of this thing, so how long before you can get us to Kwan Chang? They have my daughter," Tressa said.
Matrix’ eyes were still on the Cube, and he folded his arms across his chest. "We'll have something set up to get us out of here in two hours. Getting out of Global Union-controlled airspace isn't as easy as it used to be."
Tressa gave a thumbs-up.
"What's on this Cube are the names of every Coalition agent in the world and also the location of every base, just so we're clear," Matrix said. "Are you sure you want this in the hands of some black-market criminal who will possibly sell to the highest bidder?"
Tressa stepped forward. "They have my child. She had nothing to do with this. I will not sacrifice her for my choices. We've chosen the wrong side in this war. We're all just waiting until an Imperial Knight catches us. I gave my everything to the Coalition, and we've all risked our lives over and over again. I'm sorry; I have no choice in the matter, the decision has been made. Kwan made promises to me, and besides, he's no friend of the Global Union."
Matrix laughed. "A kidnapper and thief made a promise? I'd just as soon trust a pit of hungry vipers."
"Matrix is right.” Goliath said. "We can't trust him."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend - unless he has the information contained on this Cube," Matrix said.
Goliath put his hands on the table, then stared at the Cube. "Matrix, along with the girl, put another twenty million in encrypted currency onto the price tag of the Cube. Now we know what's on it, it's worth at least that much."
Tressa looked at him, puzzled. "Can't do that. All that's important is my little girl. I told you I'd compensate you."
Matrix smirked. "Keep your peanuts. Let's make this clear; I'm not pussy-whipped like Rabbit, and I'm not doing this for you to play Mommy. Sure, your situation is tragic, but this is about money we're going to need to survive. I'm doing this to get paid. Keep in mind, Tressa, what we've sacrificed for you. So, I'll be the judge of what that price is."
Tressa looked down and back at the others; Rabbit, Hoss, and Matrix waited for her to respond. Uncomfortable silence caused Sam to step away from the table. Goliath's large gun that swung over his shoulder and was pointed down was an ominous threat.
"You've turned into a real S.O.B," Matrix stepped in. "How about we ask, rather firmly? See how bad this Kwan Chang wants it. If they agree...great. You get your money. If they say no, we go with the original deal."
Goliath eyed Tressa who glared back at him. "I just want what's best for the team. And you'll see I just made us an extra twenty million." And then he winked at Tressa.
She turned away in disgust.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Singlemindedness is all-powerful.”
― Yamamoto Tsunetomo
The Venom-1 emerged from the clouds inside Region Four, former Turkish airspace. Sateria touched the small incision on her neck; before leaving Saigo's palace, the General had been kind enough to inject her with nanotechnology. His scientists called it smart blood, a pernicious invention which allowed her every move to be tracked. Also, it would act as a bomb, killing her from the inside out if she failed her mission or decided to try and escape.
The Imperial Knights hadn't said anything when she asked their names, though she was a bit amused they had taken their names - or more aptly, labels - after those of famous Roman elites.
One of the Iterations, Nero, sat in the co-pilot’s chair next to her; the two others, Tiberius and Decimus were out in the cabin. Sateria was able to use her sources inside the Coalition to find out a small dose of what had happened. The Coalition was overly paranoid in vetting its soldiers and keeping out spies.
All she had was a name: Tressa Ladovitch. She had yet to report back to Coalition base. As luck would have it, when she was undercover in the Coalition, she’d got to know Tressa. She thought she and Cayden might have had a thing, so she did some digging. This was one clear instance when her jealousy served her well.
During a night of drinking and girl talk, Tressa confided in her that the person who brought her into the Coalition was a retired soldier and computer expert named Matrix.
Matrix had long disappeared, fallen completely off the grid. Sateria didn't know where to find him, but he had an ex-wife. To most, it would have seemed a shot in the dark, but Sateria followed her intuition and it always served her well.
She was gifted at looking at thousands of scenarios and breaking them down to their most logical outcomes, creating something tangible. She had an address. It was all she would need. She was sure Matrix’ ex-wife would have his location, and she was certain Tressa would seek Matrix’ help. She just had to hope she wasn't too late. If nothing else, Tressa would lead her to whomever she sold the Cube to, most likely mercenaries - which would make things vastly more difficult. She had to get lucky, but when it came to hunting, lucky she always was.
Sateria watched the bright lights that illuminated the Bosphorus bridge. Known as the first bridge, it was still one of the main connects for Regions Two and Three. Personal sky-cars were used to cross, then commuters would park and take either the hyperloop or city taxi to their destination.
She landed the Venom-1 onto a GU security station, and once there, they were issued four jet-bikes and made their way through the city toward the target’s house.
The steam from the shower fogged the mirror in the bathroom, and the music coming from a speaker above the door drowned out sounds from the TV in the living room.
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br /> Cansu Ozerkan let the hot water run down her hair as she listened to the sounds of Beethoven. She heard a loud thump. Was it an earthquake? She expected the power to go out. Did a transformer blow?
She paused for a moment and listened carefully.
Nothing.
She wiped the soap from her eyes and - out of habit - pulled back the curtain, thinking somehow that would help her hear better.
A shadow loomed; it was of a large hulk of a man standing in her bathroom. He was as big as a bus in an elevator. Her heart froze, and she covered her breasts and let out a dry scream. She then looked at his body armor and saw the familiar insignia of the Global Union along with cryptic ancient occult symbols.
What have I done? Why is there a GU soldier in my home?
He hadn't moved, dark eyes with the face of a King just staring at her. He had two large knives, a holstered laser gun and an LR-99 strapped to his back, but the fact that he wasn't pointing any of them at her was a good sign. She hoped.
"What do you want? Why are you in my bathroom?" Cansu asked.
The Centurion took her towel and tossed it on the floor. He was all muscle, his crimson armor straining to keep from bursting. He turned and left the room.
The cold air hit Cansu's wet skin and she shivered, then she stepped over the towel and exited the bathroom.
The view from the penthouse was spectacular. The living room was a large oval shape and there were two luxury couches and four floating glow lamps. A small circular waterfall basin sat a few feet from a large glass window that overlooked the entire city. There were lights as far as the eyes could see, and an endless stream of sky rises, buildings and apartments.
She walked into her living room and saw a women staring at her holographic tv, scanning a module and going through her personal files. "What do you want?" Cansu said.
Sateria continued to scan the monitor, various images like vehicles, parties and locations flicking by. Cansu noticed the woman peeking at her out of the corner of her eye, then she went back to looking at the holo-screen. Tiberius and Decimus stood in her front doorway while Nero stood next to her.
"I'm looking for your ex-husband," Sateria said.
The holo-tube was full of encrypted files, and Cansu quickly made a judgment about Sateria; the lady was dangerous, it was obvious from the confident nature with which she carried herself. "That bastard must have come into some real money. How much did you cost?" Cansu said.
The lady must have done her homework; they had to know Cansu was highly trained because tight faces, coiled necks and laser-sharp eyes belied their relaxed demeanors. Her taking them by surprise was out.
Cansu stood calmly in the living room, water dripping off her naked body. The GU soldiers were basically human computers, and it had to be off-putting even for them to know Cansu was naked.
Sateria was staring into her eyes like a sneaking lioness observing her prey. "You have a lovely body.” Sateria ran her eyes over Cansu's form. “I hope when I'm your age, mine’s still looking as good."
Cansu smirked, the backhanded compliment noted.
"Where is Matrix?" Sateria asked.
"How should I know? You're the one looking for him, not me," Cansu said.
"These soldiers, they don't have much patience. And we're in a time crunch. They'll simply beat you to death... or until they get what they want." Sateria eyed the screen and continued to search the files.
Cansu glanced around the room, then walked toward Sateria. "What makes you think I'd know where he is?"
Sateria bit her lip, turning to Nero.
"Take out that window," Sateria said, pointing.
"You're too pretty to be a mercenary. You should go into a more suitable line of work. Exotic dancer, maybe?" Cansu said.
Sateria and Cansu watched as Nero pulled out both of his knives, cut a huge circle in the glass, then pulled it toward him. The hole was big enough to drive a sky-car through.
"Well, allow me the dignity of dying with some clothes on," Cansu said.
"Oh no. The hole isn't for you, so before you grab one of the half-dozen weapons you have hidden in this place, relax. Nero, second door on the left in that hallway. Bring out her guest," Sateria said.
Cansu’s eyes betrayed her; a glance a half-second too long at her grandson's bedroom gave him away. If Matrix had this woman and Centurions looking for him, it was only a matter of time before they found him.
Nero marched toward the door. "No. Wait." Cansu reached out her hand as if the very act could will him to stop. "It's my grandson. He's all I have."
Sateria smiled, nodding her head. "For your sake, I hope the information you provide me is helpful. The next time, I might not be so polite."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Trample the weak; hurdle the dead
― Attila the Hun
The bruised-colored clouds swept down so close to the ground that it looked like they'd crush anything in their path. It made the already tight alley surrounded by low edifices feel more like a coffin.
Tressa felt trapped.
The smell of cleansed air hinted at the rainstorm to come. It was still early, a sprinkling of smart cars but not much traffic. A man in a well-worn overcoat and in dire need of a shower stood next to Matrix' airbus parked adjacent to the door of Matrix' dungeon.
Tressa licked her lips and frowned. Other than the homeless man, the alley was empty. And no pedestrians passed by the mainstream up ahead.
The homeless man continued toward her.
Tressa pulled her gun and quickly searched the surrounding rooftops.
"Seen a ghost?" Matrix whispered from behind her.
She blew out a sigh and relaxed her shoulders. "Something feels off."
The man dressed in the street rags glanced up at Tressa and mumbled something inaudible. He patted his pockets and eyed the bus as the rest of the crew filing out of Matrix' hideout attracted his attention. He watched the group for a moment then turned and scurried away.
Damn junkies.
As she approached the airbus, Tressa saw a hooded figure dressed in all white enter the alley just as the homeless man left. Tressa focused on the woman's body language. Her arms were coiled in front of her and like Tressa, both blasters on her thighs had the butt straps undone.
The woman threw back her hoodie and let her arms hang loose at her sides.
Is that Sateria? Couldn't be, she's dead.
"I'm only here for the Cube. I leave here with the Cube, and you leave with both your lives and your freedom," Sateria said.
The woman had jet-black hair and wore night-vision goggles; if it wasn't Sateria, it certainly looked like her. Whatever.
It didn't matter at that point who was trying to stop her; the only thing that mattered was that the woman was trying to stop her - and to save her daughter, she'd put a laser bolt in every person in the city.
What was of concern was that if this was Sateria, she probably wasn't alone. She possibly had a team of mercs hidden in place, waiting on the fighting to start.
Goliath nudged past her, staring at Sateria with cold, icy-blue eyes. "Out of the way, tits," Goliath said, his large hands dropping to his hips, fondling the handles of Thelma and Louise.
Tressa glanced at Goliath. "Tits? Really?"
The bounty hunter rolled up her sleeve, revealing a wrist rocket launcher, her face suggesting she was ready to fight.
Tressa took a quick inventory of the bounty hunter’s weapons. Aside from the wrist launcher and two guns on her thighs, she had a laser pump gun, the M-39, powerful enough to stop an airbus in its tracks, and she also had a handgun holstered on her hip and state-of-the-art jet boots on her feet for good measure.
A Knight was storming into the alleyway behind her, the red light on his laser rifle blinking ominously.
Tressa spun around and saw two more Knights flanking Sateria.
Dammit.
She wanted to take back her wish of moments earlier; she could only wish they were mercenaries.
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Sateria shook her head, her eyes on Tressa's hand gliding down toward the grip of her gun. "Why die for such a trivial thing?" Sateria asked.
“So, it is you? The traitor?" Tressa spat.
"Considering our current circumstance, coming from you, that stings," Sateria said.
Tressa felt the comforting weight of her gun; nothing would stand in the way of her saving Sarah.
Goliath was smiling. He lived for this. "You already know."
A split-second later, pandemonium.
Tressa felt the heat from Goliath's modified guns brush past her face, along with those of blaster bolts from their new opponents.
Sateria was already on the move. Before the blue burst of lasers blasted at her feet, she had dodged, flipped and exploded into the air by igniting her jet boots. Her gun was out in a flash and she was already returning fire.
Tressa swore, ducked, fired two shots, then darted toward the airbus.
A laser blast put a smoldering hole in the door handle of the bus, and another rang off the hull of the hood.
A third zinged her shoulder. She smelled a tinge of smoke but her armor suffered minimal damage. Sateria hasn't lost a step.
Matrix, Rabbit and Hoss ran by her; the side doors to the bus opened by remote and the three of them jumped in. Matrix dived into the driver’s seat and the hydro-motors came to life and lifted the bus off the ground. It was large, smooth and powerful like its namesake, the Orca. Also like the great whale, it was white and black. Matrix and Sam had added serious upgrades, and they wouldn't be sitting ducks. This thing had firepower.
Tressa fired wildly, guns blazing in both hands. She heard the Orca rev up.
Goliath was engaged behind her, shooting a heavy stream of lasers, but Nero was in hot pursuit. He advanced through a hail of laser fire, zigzagging and dodging his way around Goliath’s lasers. He continued to press forward, terrifyingly skilful and methodical in his approach. His coordination was a thing of beauty. He took cover, fired, squatted, fired, took refuge and continued to charge forward.
"C'mon," Tressa screamed at Goliath.