ACT Two

  SIX

  We reached the intersection of the alley ways and I turned towards where the deal had soured. Kaela paused and started down another path. Laughter and voices echoed through the ruins and we both froze. A group of people were approaching from somewhere, but it didn’t sound like they knew we were here. Instinctively we reunited in the alley, standing back to back in the crossway until we could make out the source.

  “Shit, they have us surrounded.” Kaela hissed.

  “We could take a chance in the clearing, multiple exit points.” I whispered. “I’m not using Jared’s choke point, that’s for damn sure.”

  “Agreed. Let’s move low, we can split at the clearing.”

  I nodded and crouched into a low sprint. I didn’t have any ranged weapons with me, an oversight I was regretting. I’d have to rely on Kaela for support, and I wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t just leave me as a distraction. I shouldn’t have let her strip the bodies by herself, but it was too late to worry about that.

  We reached the edge of the clearing just as I heard the engine of a van pulling into the clearing. I held up a fist to stop Kaela from plowing into me. I peeked around the corner and watched as two men with shotguns slung over their shoulder hopped out of the beat up black van decorated with Cinder Rat graffiti. They must be here to collect the bodies.

  “Gnaw’s pretty pissed about the way this ambush went down. Not sure why he brought a bunch of rookies. I mean… look at this mess!” the driver said, looking over the scene.

  “He was training ‘em. Guess a few couldn’t hack it. Let’s round ‘em up and get the fuck out of here.” The other replied dragging the dead body by it’s feet.

  “I figured it was Gnaw.” Kaela whispered. “I hear a few more coming from the other side still. We’re about to be sandwiched.”

  There were two bodies in the clearing, one in the trash right by the alley, and the one I had nearly stepped on when I crawled into the clearing the first time. They had that one loaded into the van and were heading our way. I leaned back ready to pounce when they got close, hoping Kaela would assist. We only had one shot at this.

  I watched some trash tumble into view as one of the men kicked it out of the way to start picking up the body, time to move. I tapped Kaela’s leg behind me to let her know I was moving and then slipped out behind one of the two men. I had to be quick to get around to the one on the far side allowing Kaela to grab the closest before they could draw their weapons. I timed it so they had the body in their hands to slow their response time.

  I slid past the first cutter, and under the dangling body, my adrenaline soaring as my pulse echoed in my ears. I activated my claws in both fists as I jumped into an uppercut between the legs of the dead man. The razor sharp chrome blades dripped with blood as they stabbed through the man’s neck and into his skull, killing him instantly. He dropped the body and fell backwards as I pushed him off of me. I heard the scuffle behind me, and turned to see Kaela choking the other man and pressing a combat knife through his ribs.

  “Where you at?” a voice chirped over a walkie on the body I had impaled. “Someone stripped down our guys and pulled the corp down…”

  Gravel crunched under a boot from the alley as Kaela dropped the Rat she’d killed. I dove for the van as I saw the barrel of a shotgun coming up in surprise as the man rounded the corner. A blast went off, I heard Kaela scrambling for cover as well. The man let out a loud hoot to alert others he had found something. Everything was going to shit, fast.

  I crawled under the van hoping to stay hidden while I sorted out a way to escape. A few more men rushed into the area, and could hear a few different guns firing as Kaela had found enough cover to return fire. I decided to try and get into the back of the van and look for a gun, I wasn’t going to punch my way out of this one. I had to hope there was something in there I could use, if nothing else maybe I could steal the whole van.

  I grabbed the bumper, pulled to slide myself out and climbed up to begin my search when a hand grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled hard, sending me careening back to the ground. I coughed as I landed hard in the dirt, rolling to one side to narrowly dodge a fist coming down next to me. It hit hard, augmented strength cracking the pavement. A grimy muscular man stood over me, shaking the pain out of his hand with a smirk.

  I scrambled, slamming my claws into his leg as I tried to make it to my feet. He cried out in pain and fell to one knee as I slipped out from under him. I raked the claws up his back as I stood and then drove them into the back of his neck spraying blood across us both. I spotted the large handgun hanging from his belt and snatched it as I kicked him away.

  Shotgun fire peppered the side of the van and the building nearby as one of the Rat’s turned to fire on me, spraying everything at chest level. I managed to dash and slide behind some rubble without catching any strays and tried to find an exit path. I could hear Kaela laughing and taunting the rats as she continued to fight, clearly in her element. I only caught a glimpse, but it seemed like she had taken a few out already. I knew more were coming though.

  I heard the distinctive roar of motorcycle engines approaching, the Rat’s had called for backup. Bikes meant raiders, these guys would be ready for the fight and armed to the teeth. I bolted for the the far side of the clearing, where I had originally entered as it was the only path I knew for sure would lead out of here. I fired a few rounds of covering fire as I ran, clipping one of the rats and giving Kaela an opening to finish him off. She wasn’t far from where I was heading. The bikes ramped off a downed portion of wall, over-tuned engines screaming between the ruined buildings before they screeched into the clearing, machine guns spraying arcs of bullets towards us as I barely managed to reach cover again.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Kaela shouted, ducking behind the crumbling concrete barrier. “This is your fault, you know?” she called.

  “How is it my fault!?” I snorted in disbelief.

  “If you hadn’t taken so long poking around in the corpse, we could be long gone by now! I told you they always come back for their fallen!

  “I seem to remember you sitting through the recording along with me. You could have left anytime!”

  “And let you get an advantage? Ha!” she flipped her empty rifle over her shoulder and pulled a handgun from a leg holster. “I’m burning through ammo here, we need an exit!”

  “Aim better, then we can head back towards the Flicker.” I sneered.

  She ducked another spray from the shotgun and then we both popped up taking shots at the remaining goons. The two skulls that had hopped off their bikes and dropped portable shields to hide behind. I shot wide catching the shield, it crackled blue and purple from the impact but the energy filled barrier held strong. Kaela managed to clip the other one in the shoulder after taking out the cutter with the shotgun. She grinned at me without taking her eyes off the target, she knew I was watching.

  Kaela wasn’t just fighting, she was performing. The thrill of the fight had her in peak form as she ducked in and out of cover, arm straight as an arrow towards her target. The ganger popped out of cover just a second too long to line up a shot and caught two rounds between the eyes. She laughed as she ejected the magazine and slammed another into place without missing a beat. I couldn’t help but stare as the muzzle flashes illuminated her fit frame in the dim light of the Ash. I shook it off and tried to line up my next shot.

  The Rat was alone now, and he looked desperate and dangerous. He held his gun around the edge of the shield to spray fire at us without giving us a target, forcing us to cover for a moment. He reached into his jacket and pulled out something small I couldn’t make out. He thumbed it and drew his arm back to throw as my eyes went wide with realization. A grenade.

  Kaela clocked it the same moment I did. Our eyes met — hers were bright with a wild, hungry gleam. She planted one hand on the barrier, coiled her legs, and launched. Time slowed as her boot snapped up, catching the grenade like she was a soccer player on some blood-soaked pitch. She twisted in midair and dropped low behind cover as the explosive rocked the area, it was much bigger than I’d expected.

  The blast ripped the clearing apart. Dust rained down, shields atomized in the shockwave, and what was left of the raider painted the ground in sizzling scraps. The building beside us groaned, whole slabs of concrete shearing loose. We had seconds to escape.

  “Come on… Even you have to admit that was badass!” She called as I ran.

  I just shook my head and pumped my legs, the walls behind us were already starting to give out. I could hear more engines screaming through the Ash, sharp and ready for war. The raging machines were a painful reminded that we weren’t in the clear just yet. Hopefully they would get caught up in the collapse and save us some effort.

  Smoke and dust billowed from behind us as we ran, the building was coming down in sheets of broken cement and fraying steel. I heard one of the raiders rev hard trying to maneuver away, but it cut off sharply as the rest of the rubble swallowed them whole. I could make out at least two more coming from a different angle as we neared the large open clearing. If they caught us in the open, we were fucked.

  As we reached it, however, I discovered we had a whole new problem. Standing at the edge of the large crater, flanked on either side by a handful of goons, was a hulking frame under a jaw of dark, gleaming metal. The figured I’d seen in Jared’s last recording. The one who’d hoisted his body onto the rebar like meat on a spit.

  “Gnaw….” Kaela muttered as we slowed to a halt on the edge of the clearing.

  I noticed more vans nearby as two more raiders shrieked into view on the far side, sliding to a stop with the rest of their crew. The Rats had us cornered, and my mind raced trying to come up with a way out of the clusterfuck we’d stumbled into. Kaela was reloading her rifle next to me, eyes focused on the crowd ahead of us. I knew I only had a few rounds left in the pistol I had grabbed earlier, so this would mostly be up to her.

  “Looky-here boys… two more Omni dogs sniffing at my scraps.” A voice thick with an eastern European accent growled from behind the metal jaw. “Think they want their toy back?” he said patting the clean metal of the stolen iron on his hip.

  I swallowed, trying not to let the fear show on my face. We were outnumbered, out gunned, and staring at a brick shit-house with more chrome than brains. He was missing an eye, replaced with a glowing red implant that looked like it had been ripped off a weapon and shoved in his skull. Thick chrome-plated wires snaked along his muscles and into his flesh, some kind of military grade strength enhancement, I couldn’t place the model from this distance.

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  The Rats stirred, stretching, checking mags. My pulse hammered as the dust from the collapse caught up with us, sweeping across the crater like a funeral shroud. Gnaw lifted his arms wide, drinking in the silence before the inevitable slaughter. And then the sky ripped open.

  Two cutters were turned to mist by a hail of bullets as three familiar silver and blue drones made a pass overhead. Vera had sent some backup, but for whom? She wouldn’t know we were together for this mess. Was she watching us, or did she just assume one of us would fail?

  Kaela popped off a few rounds into the scattering goons, downing another as we took advantage of the confusion. I ran for the edge of the clearing, hoping to stick low behind the rubble as I circled around towards where the drones had arrived. I didn’t know which of us she planned to cover, but I was going to use the distraction regardless.

  Gnaw barked orders over the chaos as he dove into the back of a van before it sped away from the attack, leaving his men to fend for themselves against the drones. The bike raider fired a few precise shots that clipped the gun of the lead drone, and I watched as it flashed red triggering it’s self destruct sequence and diving hard for the man that had shot it. It slammed into his chest, pinning his broken body against the pavement and exploded, shredding a handful of cutters with a spray of fire and shrapnel.

  Kaela danced her way through the carnage, firing shots with precision and flair as she too raced for the exit. Another drone went down in a focused dive onto a fresh pair of raiders arriving on over-clocked carbon fiber steeds. They must have been carrying explosives, the blast was much larger this time carving out a new chunk in the existing crater and setting fire to a parked van. These drones were expensive, Vera must have rerouted them from a scheduled perimeter sweep to cover wasting them. She was covering her own tracks, not ours.

  We raced deeper into the the curtain, putting as much distance as we could between us and the continuing firefight. Shots echoed through the hollow shells of buildings around us, and then everything went silent after a third explosion. We had barely managed to escape, but so did Gnaw. And now we knew he had the weapon, hopefully he hadn’t discarded the drive with the documentation.

  Somewhere a long the way, Kaela split off and left me alone as I ran. It was safer this way, but I couldn’t help but feel a sting that she didn’t say anything first. I had lost my bearing and wasn’t sure if I was heading out of the Ash, or deeper in. I slowed to a stop and ducked into a more solid looking building to catch my breath and figure out where the hell I was.

  I leaned against an interior wall, sliding down to the floor and allowing myself a moment to rest. I wasn’t used to high combat situations, and all this running through the Ash had my lungs and muscles burning. I tried to check my map, but the signal was poor here, blocked by the constant smoke and junk in the air. I gave it a few minutes to calibrate and sniff the signal while I checked myself over.

  I cleared a string of alerts about air quality and adrenaline spikes, nothing serious enough to be concerned about at the moment. I had felt a catch in my claws after taking down that last Rat, and calling them out now there was a definite lag on the hinge. Saint had just tuned these up before I left, he’s going to be irritated I already needed another. This model was old and prone to failure over time, but it was all I could afford when I requisitioned them last year.

  My throat felt like gravel, and I desperately needed a drink. I hadn’t thought to bring any water with me, I wasn’t expecting my recon to turn into whatever the hell this was. I swallowed my spit which tasted charred and didn’t do much for my throat, but it was better than nothing. My HUD flickered as the GPS signal finally caught up.

  I was closing to the southern border than I realized, somewhere along the way we had diverted away from the direction of the Flicker, but if I could keep going south I’d be able to get into OmniCore Plaza and out of reach of the Rats. I wasn’t sure how I was going to recover the weapon from Gnaw, he was a literal monster. I had the intel from Jared though, I could report that to Vera and try to come up with a plan, but I needed to get out of the Ash first. I moved over to the window, staying low and out of sight, listening for any signs of activity outside.

  The sector had a breath of it’s own, low and wheezy as it wafted through buildings and rubble. Crackles of gunfire in the distance, but nothing close enough to be concerning. I closed my eyes, focusing on the surrounding area for footsteps or chatter. I figured I was far enough away from the action with the drones to slip away, but that didn’t mean I was safe. Not here.

  I was just about to step back out the front door when I heard a cough from across the street. I hugged the wall and froze, trying to get a visual. I couldn’t see where it came from, but there was definitely someone out there. I couldn’t be sure if they were a threat, but it was best to assume they were and try to slink out the other side of the building.

  I had to snake around parts of the floor above that had caved in and cursed under my breath as my foot slipped across and uneven surface, shattering a bit of glass by the window. They heard that for sure. I paused a moment, and didn’t hear anything, and decided to keep moving. I could see a gash in the far wall that led outside and a path into another building, but as I stepped into the ally moving towards it, a pair of bikes revved alive. They were on me before I could slip back inside, and I had to dive for another alley on the far side to keep from being run down.

  I leaned into a full run as I pushed down the grime coated alley. I heard one of the bikes turn in after me and I tipped a dumpster to try and slow them down. I slipped out into what appeared to be an old office building laying on it’s side. There was a clear path that had been carved through, but it was big enough for the bikes to traverse as well. My eyes darted for alternate paths but options were limited by the shape of the carved path.

  I managed to dash up a bit of rubble and leap to a higher level, but was forced to slide back down not long after by a collapsed section. The bikes screamed into the passage behind me having regrouped and realizing they had me in a great spot. I glanced back and could see chains hanging from one hand of each raider, dangerous hooks and spikes dangling from the ends. They didn’t seem to have guns out at least, so that was something.

  I shifted further into the chambers, weaving between holes and broken pillars, making it harder for the bikes to get close but also slowing me down. My heart sank a little as I scanned ahead and realized I would have to dash back out into the main path again, leaving me open. I thought I heard a third engine now as well, though the echo in here was making it difficult to determine where sounds where coming from. I pumped my legs harder, picking up speed, ready to break out in front of them and hoping to find another side path across the way.

  I heard the shriek of rising RPMs as one of the Rats must have realized the window as well. I held my breath a moment as I tore out into the main pathway, eyes darting for an escape. I could feel the ground shaking as the bike got closer, I hadn’t timed this well and was likely to pay for the mistake. I braced myself for the attack, but then a shot cracked through the air. The raider flipped backwards with the impact, and the bike veered away, slamming into the opposite wall and tumbling down the hall.

  “You’re welcome!” she called.

  The familiar sound of Kaela’s laugh rang out from above, and I glanced up in time to see her dash off on an upper level as another bike roared in from the other side. She had been chased in here as well, but she was enjoying it. I sighed, she’d saved me and I wasn’t likely to hear the end of that one. Chains sparked against the concrete nearby reminding me of the other bike as I stumbled into another break in the wall for cover. I could hear gun fire from above as Kaela engaged with her pursuer.

  The walls I was currently navigating were actually the floors of the building, which meant I had less of a clear path through the unaltered sections. I was once again forced out to the main path to dodge a dead end, and gasped as I noticed the raider had zoomed past already and was circling back for an attack. I swallowed hard, I needed to do something. My claws were out in my right hand with a snap, and I raised the pistol with my left trying to catch him with the few remaining rounds. I clipped the bike, but not the rider with the final shot.

  The Rat laughed as he sped closer, curving around my shots and readying his chain. I dropped the empty pistol and ran towards him, trying to close the gap a little faster and throw off his aim. He launched up off a chunk of concrete and twisted the bike in midair, actually running the back tire across the wall for momentum as he shrieked closer. I only had one shot at this.

  I lashed out high with my claws as I slid under the approaching bike, trying to use his speed against him. I caught the chain mid swing, which sent pain rocketing through my arm. My HUD flashed with warnings about the strain on the implant, but I gritted my teeth and pulled as hard as I could. I felt something tear and snap as I grabbed my arm with my other hand and put my full weight and strength into the strike. I ripped the asshole right off his bike in midair, sending the machine crashing down the hall behind us as I tugged him to the ground.

  The blades of my claws snapped with the force, tangled up in the chains as we rolled. I cried out as one of the blades slipped down and carved into my upper thigh in the chaos. The Rat crumpled against the concrete next to me and I heard a bone or two snap. He grunted with pain, but was getting to his feet faster than I was. His bike erupted into flames behind us and I caught the flash of a blade in his hand as he lunged.

  I rolled, the blade mostly catching in my jacket allowing me to slam an elbow on his wrist and disarm him. I caught a fist across the cheek in return, but not hard enough to cause much damage. We grappled and rolled, neither able to get the upper hand in the struggle. We were both running on fumes, fighting against our own injuries. I managed to slip my left arm free long enough to activate my claws, jamming them between his ribs and spilling blood onto my stomach.

  His eyes went glossy, unfocused. I hated that part, seeing the realization of death in someone’s eyes was always haunting. It wasn’t my first, but I usually couldn’t see it so clearly. His frame went limp as he collapsed on top of me. His knee landed against the wound on my thigh and I cried out once more. I shoved at the corpse, unable to escape the dead weight pinning me against the dirt.

  My thigh burned where the broken blade carved into my flesh, every kick sending sharp jolts through my nerves. My biomon was screaming with alerts across the board: blood loss, system strain, implant integrity, adrenaline levels. I wasn’t sure if I could get out from beneath the bastard, I was losing blood and strength fast. Then I heard it — low at first, but rising fast — the familiar snarl of another engine.

  My chest seized. I craned my neck just enough to see a beam of headlight flare down the hall. The sound of chain links rattled in my memory. Panic began to set in, if I couldn’t move soon this might be it.

  “No! No, no… nonono…” I stuttered.

  I twisted, clawing with my good hand against the Rat’s shoulder, frantically trying to get him off me, but my wounded leg wouldn’t cooperate. The roar grew louder, closer, filling the tunnel. I was cornered, pinned, and broken. I braced myself to roll anyway, drag the heavy fucker with me if need be. I wasn’t going to die under him in the dirt if I could help it.

  My thigh screamed as I tried to twist, the world tunneling down around me as my vision blurred. I screamed as I hit and shoved at the body, finally starting to feel movement, but it wouldn’t be fast enough. I was consumed by fear, on the verge of passing out as I struggled to get a view of my would-be killer. This was it.

  The bike shot into view, steel and chipped paint reflecting the flames of the other crashed bikes. The engine hissed as it started to slow, the tires screeching to a halt nearby. I readied my fangs to tear flesh if I could get close enough, assuming they didn’t just put a bullet between my eyes. I wanted to spit a threat as the boots approached but couldn’t think of the words.

  “I thought you’d have better taste than this, Nyx… and just out in the open? Bold.” Kaela mocked, her voice steady and calming.

  I felt tears burn around my eyes as I tried to respond, but I was losing consciousness. Her eyes glowed as she scanned me and she moved a little quicker.

  “Oh, fuck. Come on… let’s get you out of here.” She said, reaching down to help.

  She yanked the body off of me and tossed it aside, assessing my bloody, beaten form. I held a limp hand up and she scooped me up, stretching on arm over her shoulders and walking me towards the stolen bike.

  “I’ve got a place we can lay low, just into Chromeline. Try not to bleed out before we get there.” She said, I could tell she was digging at me to try and keep me awake.

  She helped me onto the bike, and I struggled not to fall off while she climbed on. She pulled a hypo-needle from her pocket and jammed it into my other thigh, a rush of clarity washed over me as the pain killer and adrenaline boost combo hit my bloodstream. I managed to clench my arms around her waist as the cocktail woke me up. It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it should keep me alert until we could get somewhere safe to patch the wounds.

  She kicked the stand up and pulled the throttle, sending the bike rocketing down the remainder of the corridor. Wind whipped at my tear stained eyes and I closed them tight as I held on to her. I was surprised and thankful that she had come back for me. She seemed reckless and obnoxious in battle, but she’d saved me a few times today. I wondered if she actually cared, or if she just wanted me to owe her a favor.

  I felt her shift in her seat, and the bike drifted to one side as she fired off a few rounds from a handgun at a small group of thugs trying to block us in. I peeked as we passed, but they didn’t look like Rats, just some average dickheads trying to rob people passing through. It looked like we might actually be in the clear now. I sighed, and tightened my grip as she holstered her gun and pushed the engine to max speed.

  I glanced up, I could see the gleaming OmniCore towers poking through the fog in the distance off to our left. We were pretty close to the border line, corp drones patrolling the air overhead. The meds were still working, but I was starting to fade again. My grip slipped a little, and a gloved hand clamped onto my arm holding me in place as we banked around a turn heading for the safety of public streets in Chromeline.